


once in a sunset

by flusteredkeith



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Timeline, Canon Universe, F/M, Friendship/Love, Gen, in which lance wants to show pidge that sunsets don't just happen everyday, more or less, plance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-30 07:00:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11458449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flusteredkeith/pseuds/flusteredkeith
Summary: “Excuse me, I am doing more than just ‘sitting here,’” Lance says, pulling her back down and wrapping an arm around her. “First of all, I’m with you. Second of all, I’m using my high levels of empathy to bond with a good friend in her time of stress, which thanks, by the way, for noticing. And third of all…”He notions to the sun with a tilt of his head and turns to face it himself.“The view is absolutely gorgeous.”





	once in a sunset

**Author's Note:**

> finally got my first plance fic out. can be seen as platonic or shippy, I guess? either way, I've been falling hard for this ship for the last few months and it's been nice to finally get a fic out for it!
> 
> hope you enjoy!

Her fingers curl themselves into tight fists as she seizes the edges of Lance’s jacket. She doesn’t know where to focus — her brother, her father, Shiro, the state of the castle, Keith’s cold shoulder, the numbers running on the computer she’d just left back in her Lion’s hangar, the scent of sea salt clinging to Lance’s —  
  
Her mind’s been running and running a long time, like synapses firing away at the speed of light, making connections, spotting patterns. But she still can’t bring herself to rest — not when she needs to solve the mystery of her missing family, which, until three weeks ago, did not include Shiro.  
  
Turning away from the soft glow of orange sunlight, she buries her face in his shoulder and listens to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.  
  
“You’ve been way too hard on yourself, Pidge,” he says, ruffling her hair. Normally, coming from Lance, the gesture would’ve annoyed her. But this time, she listens to the gentle rumble of his voice and tries not to cry.  
  
Just an hour ago, Lance had unceremoniously dragged her out of her Lion's hangar (“Girl, you’ve been in here for like five days straight!”), a "service" she did _not_ appreciate in the slightest. Not only that, once he had sat her down on the roof of the Castle, he forbade her from going back inside.  
  
Not that Pidge stayed without a fight. Scrambling up to her feet at once, she had scoffed a "Ha ha, nice try, Lance," before attempting to run back into the Castle, into the safe and familiar arms of her lab equipment. But Lance had caught her around the waist easily, and after a series of wrestling, pushing, and even biting, she resigned herself to the fact that he was not going to let her go.  
  
For the first thirty minutes, they sat in silence while her mind raced. It made her fingers itch for a keyboard, for some sort of outlet to channel her spilling thoughts, but Lance wouldn't let her go and being unable to _do anything about it_ simply drove her crazy because Shiro, Matt, and her dad are missing and still out there and she's tried everything she can think of and nothing seems to work and Lance was just sitting there next to her all calm and collected while she felt herself slowly coming apart at the seams—  
  
"Just let it out, Pidge," he said, his voice serene and soft. He was leaning back on both his arms looking out at the sky before them. "We're not going anywhere."

It was then that she realized he wasn’t holding her back from going inside anymore. She could’ve escaped, yet for some reason, hadn’t.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Pidge set aside her glasses and began to talk. Out spilled a flowing stream of fears and worries she'd harbored in the past few weeks — fears that were shared by the team but had stayed unspoken for her, fears that were external and fears that were internal: she's not sharp enough, smart enough, quick enough for this war, for her family, for Shiro, for team Voltron and —  
  
It was at this point that Lance pulled her into his arms.  
  
“I’ve been searching… and searching… for _so_ long,” she whispers in a cracked voice. It's taken her a long time to admit, but she's tired. She knows she can chase all the loose threads and dead ends if she keeps going but Lance's hand on her back is a soothing reminder that even people like her need to take breaks. Shutting her eyes tight against his jacket, she allows a few tears to leak out. “I'm just...so tired of losing people."  
  
“I know," he mutters into her hair. She feels his hand rubbing her back in comforting circles and relaxes into the touch.

"But look at it this way. They're not really lost because you know they're out there and you're looking for them."

He pulls back and stares down at her, gently brushing away a tear from her face with his thumb.

"And if anyone can find them, it's you. You can do anything, Pidge. I mean, you’re a genius! You were the one who reprogrammed Rover. You were the one who hacked your way through the Castle when it was infiltrated. You were the one who brought us back together when we got separated after that fight with Zarkon. You do so many cool things, like, come on. You’re awesome. You can do anything.”

Pidge blinks and looks down at her knees. Something about his praise makes her feel nervous.

“It’s just… it feels so insurmountable,” she says. “I mean, they could be anywhere and the universe is so much bigger than anything we’ve previously imagined.”

She can’t remember ever feeling this way, like a problem might actually be impossible to solve. Her family had always taught her that if she simply put her mind to it, she could find a solution for anything.

“I know, Pidge, I know,” Lance sighs. “I’ve never felt further away from home than when I realized how huge the galaxy is. It made missing my family even harder but… at least I know where they are. I can’t even imagine how it must feel for you.”

There’s a sinking feeling in her chest, causing her fingers to instinctively itch for her keyboard again. She can’t sit around and stew in this. She needs to do something. Anything.

She shifts her legs around and positions them to push herself into a standing position, but before she can do so, Lance catches her by the back of her shirt collar and stops her from running.

“Whoa, slow down,” Lance says. “We don’t have to talk about it anymore if you don’t want, but you need to stay here.”

“How can you stand it, Lance?” she asks, annoyed. “Just sitting here and doing nothing!”

“Excuse me, I am doing more than just ‘sitting here and doing nothing,’” he says, pulling her back down and wrapping an arm around her. “First of all, I’m with you. Second of all, I’m using my high levels of empathy to bond with a good friend in her time of stress, which thanks, by the way, for noticing. And third of all…”

He notions to the sun with a tilt of his head and turns to face it himself.

“The view is absolutely gorgeous.”

“But, Lance—”

“Shh.”

He leans his head against hers and continues to gaze at the sky.

“You’re ruining the moment.”

She rolls her eyes but obliges. Turning her head towards the warm glow of the sun, she looks out over the horizon at this strange planet they’ve stopped in. When she stops to really take it in, she can see why Lance likes it so much.

Parked on top of a cliff, the Castle currently overlooks an outcropping of rocks extending out over a large body of water. Unlike the other planets they’ve visited so far, the atmosphere here is blanketed with billowing clouds lined with rose-gold and blood-orange hues. Pidge steals a glance at the blue paladin as he stares off into the sunset, his eyes distant and wistful. Although Pidge knows that it’s nothing like Varadero beach, she’s sure the ocean scenery still strikes a chord in Lance’s heart.

And as he gives her shoulder a gentle squeeze, she has to admit that it strikes one in hers too.

It’s strange. Usually, Lance reads like an open book, speaking his mind and expressing himself freely. But as he continues to gaze at the view in silence with Pidge, she realizes that there’s so much more of him to be discovered beneath the surface.

“You know, for what it’s worth,” Pidge says. “I’m glad you’re here and not lost. I mean, not that I’d be glad if any of you were lost, but you know what I mean. I mean… all I’m trying to say is that I’m grateful you’ve been around — not just today, but this entire time we’ve known each other. You’ve always been there for me, even when I’ve never asked for it or returned the favor and well — thanks.”

She gives him a little shrug and a toothy grin.

“Aww, you _have_ noticed!” Lance says, holding a hand to his heart and looking down at her. Pidge’s eyes droop as her smile fades.

“Don’t make me regret telling you that,” she grumbles.

Lance simply chuckles then turns back to face the sunset. After a few moments, his smile fades and is replaced by a more serious expression.

“You don't have to worry about losing me, Pidgista,” he tells her.

Pidge looks down at her knees, feeling her cheeks flush. She’s not sure where the sudden heat came from, but she’s determined to make sure it passes by without notice.

“You know, in a way, they’re lucky,” Lance speaks up again. “Your dad, your brother, and Shiro, I mean. Lucky to have someone like you searching for them.”

“Why would you say that?” she asks.

“Because despite these roadblocks, I know you’re going to stop at nothing until you tear the universe apart and find them. Not to mention, with Shiro’s gone, Keith’s gonna do the same. With the two of you and the rest of us, we’re going to get them back. I promise.”

Pidge meets his eyes and nods.

“You just gotta take it one step at a time,” he says. “For now, just enjoy the sunset. I mean, I know you said it happens everyday, but you know what? That's part of the beauty of it.”

“Well, _technically_ , I never said sunsets _weren’t_ beautiful—”

“Ah ba-ba-ba, shhh.” He puts a finger to her lips. “Just sit back and take it all in." 

Rolling her eyes, Pidge turns back to face the view, leaning her head on Lance’s shoulder. Although she’s nowhere closer to finding her family, knows she’ll never be satisfied until she gets them back, for a brief moment, as she sits here with Lance looking out into the sunset, she forgets what it’s like to miss home.

After all, sunsets happen everyday. But having someone like Lance by her side constantly supporting and caring for her? 

That only happens once in a lifetime.

**Author's Note:**

> come say hello to me on tumblr at [@flusteredkeith](https://flusteredkeith.tumblr.com)!


End file.
